This country’s hunger was replaced by violin making, the violin factory of the world. Ambili P writes
Beijing, First Published Jul 16, 2022, 1:46 PM IST
Half of the violins produced in the world come from here. 7 lakh guitars are manufactured in a year. More than 230 enterprises related to violin making. More than 30,000 people took violin making as a job.
It is about the city known as the violin manufacturing center of China. The city of Huangqiao in Jiangsu Province in eastern China is known as the Violin Factory.
There is a little story behind the start of violin making in this city.
In the 1960s, the city of Shanghai was famous for musical instrument manufacturing. The 2 workers who worked in the Shanghai violin factory returned to Huangqiao City. He started teaching construction work to those natives. Carving the base of a field in wood cost half a yuan. This amount was enough to survive for a family at that time when life was very difficult.
A factory was started in Huangqiao in 1971 to make accessories for violin makers in Shanghai. At that time, a young man named Li Shu arrives at the factory for training. Within 2 months, Lee was named a skilled worker. Within eight years, Lee became the head of the factory. Instead of making violin parts, Lee thought, why not make more money by making assembled violins?
Huangqiao became a branch factory of the Shanghai Violin Factory. The contract was for 10 years. Lee’s branch company was able to make a profit of 2 million yuan in its first year. More locals took up violin making as a profession. Their living conditions also improved. By 1995, Lee’s company had become an independent factory. Sixty thousand violins were made in the factory that year. This achievement of Li’s factory outstripped the best violin makers in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
A feeling that Chinese-made violins were not of high quality was prevalent in the international market and among musicians at the time. Lee carefully studied foreign violin making to overcome this. Implemented. Lee demonstrated to the world the high quality of his field, which cost only fifteen dollars. That was the beginning of a venture called Fine Legend Musical Instruments Limited. A Chinese joint venture with international cooperation. Lee’s violins conquered the US and European markets.
Three lakh violins were produced a year and more than a thousand workers were employed. The fine legend company has moved on to its peak glory. In 2010, an international violin making competition was held in China. The jury was shocked to see the price difference between violin makers in Huangqiao home-made and imported violins. Manufacturing using the same raw materials and the same technology. The foreign field had to pay twice as much as the Huangqiao field.
There are hundreds of violin manufacturing companies in Huangqiao today. Everyone here believes that the construction of each musical instrument should be as good as a fine piece of art. Today, Huangqiao brand violins have a great market all over the world.
Last Updated Jul 16, 2022, 1:46 PM IST
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